Fast Friday: Kale chips

As fate would have it, I'm late to the kale chips party.  Not 5 or 10 minutes,"Oh, I neeeeeever show up at an event on time.  I'm going fashionably late," late.

More like, "Crap, all of the cocktail shrimp and mini cupcakes are gone and half of the guests are a little tipsy," late.  In other words, almost too late. 

But, not so late that I missed all the fun.   And that's what counts.

Better late than never, right?

I'd heard of, read about, and been downright bombarded with the concept of kale chips for months.  They certainly intrigued me but never jumped out at me as something I needed right this minute.  Until after I'd tried them for myself, that is.

With roughly half of a bunch of kale left in the fridge after making this divine stew, I decided to roast some of it and add even more greens to my dinner.  This decision was made after the broccoli had already been in the oven for almost 20 minutes, roasting merrily.  I took out the the cookie sheet, tossed the kale with the lightly-oiled and seasoned broccoli and popped it back into the oven.

What I got just a few minutes later were the crispiest chips in the history of chip-dom.  So light and thin and flaky!  Like a single sheet of cooked phyllo dough.

The light sprinkling of salt and pepper is all the kale needed to become my most favorite chip ever.  More than sweet potato and zucchini chips.  More than Pringles (yep, I said it).  The loud crunch makes eating these chips even more satisfying.   So satisfying that I ate the entire batch and left none for Matt.  What's mine was most certainly not his.  Oops.  Don't point your finger at me -- I blame him for getting home later than usual. 

Have yourself a handful (or seven) of 'em and enjoy the weekend guilt-free!

Two years ago: Chocolate almond pastry


Roasted Kale Chips
-serves 2

5-6 cups kale, rinsed, dried, and torn into pieces
Olive or canola oil spray
Salt
Ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Distribute kale on a large rimmed baking sheet and lightly spray with olive oil or canola oil spray.  Toss to coat leaves and spread to an even layer.  Season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 4 to 6 minutes, or until kale is slightly browned and crispy (do this to your own taste).  Enjoy immediately!